Means for supporting yarn bodies



June 9', 1942. H. NAUMANN MEANS FOR SUPPORTING YARN BODIES Filed March 1.1, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 flerberf 1 0; m

June 9, 1942. H. NAUMANN mmns FOR surronwme YARN BODIES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 11, 1937 Patented June 9, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS Foa SUPPORTING YARN BODIES Herbert Naumann, Eiizabethton, Tcnn., assignor to North American Rayon Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 11, 1937. Serial No. 130,319 8 Claims. (01. 242-129) firmly lield while they thread or yarn is being 4 taken up by a winding, twisting or other type of thread collecting machine.

A further object of the invention is to construct an apparatus which will insure that the normally unsupported yarn body will unwind freely throughout its'entire length and not soften or collapse near its inner portion and therefore be collected under a different tension as was the supported outside portion.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from an examination of the specification and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus partly in dotted lines.

Figure 2 is a verticalsection taken on line 2-4 of Figure l. I

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on line i--! of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on line H of Figure 2. p I

Figure 6 is a top plan view showing theyam body in expanded position and with the top plate removed.

While this invention is ap licable for unwinding any type of thread, fila ent, yarn or the like, its particular use is in unwinding unsupported yarn bodies such as those used in the artificial silk industry. In rayon plants the regenerated threads or filaments are frequently collected on collapsible spools which are removed from the interior of the body before unwinding and after the yarn has been after-treated and dried or it maybe collected by means of a centrifugakspin pot. In either instance, it is necessary to take By way of illustration of the principles and operation of the invention, the apparatus as shown in the drawings is mounted on the lower step i of a conventional coning or winding inachine (not shown). A base plate 2 is secured to the lower step I- by screws 3 and also mounted upon the base plate and secured thereto by the screws 3 is a circular apertured plate 4. A tu- 'bular cylindrical member 5 is mounted in the aperture formed in plate 4 and extends upwardly as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings where it is vertically. slotted at 90 angles through. its periphery for the accommodation of laterally moving wedge members which will be hereinafter described.

Surrounding the cylindrical member 5 is a second tubular-member I formed of four separate quadrants or sectors each of which has affixed to its inner face upper and lower-wedge members 8 and 9. The quadrants I rest on bottom plate 4- and are yieldably held. in position around cylinder 5 through the medium of flat springs or elastic bands I ll 'set ingrooves provided in the outer surface of the quadrants.

Vertically movable within the inner cylinder 5 is a plunger or follower Ii formed with upper and. lower angledor oblique shoulders l2 which, as shown, rest against and are of a complementary angle to the oblique faces-of upper and lower wedges 8 and 9. p

Centrally secured to the middle portion of the plunger or follower II is 9. depending rod 13 having a coiled spring l4 concentrically arranged and tensioned around the upper portion thereof between the bottom of the middle section of the follower II and the base plate 2. The depend-. ing rod i3 projects downwardly through openings formed in the base plate 2 and lower step I where its lower endterminates in a bifurcated pivot is and supports therein apivot pin it on which is mounted a lever ii. The 'upper end of the lever I1 is pivotally secured'to a fitting i8 s pported from the lower step while the opposite these unsupported bodiesand wind them off on' a coning machine or the like. Considerable difflculty has been experienced in the art in accomplishing this operation to insure that the winding or coning is uniform from beginning to end.

/ end of the lever l1 carries a treadle operating plate l9. 4 1

A latching device 20, comprising a depending box-like bracket havinga notch 2| formed therein, encompasses the pivoted lever i'I near its lower end, and it will be obvious that the leve'rjmay from the notch 2! it will be carried upwardly as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3 and follow the upward movement of the plunger or follower ll.

When the lever I1 is unlatched from the notch 2| the spring tension of coil spring 14 forces the follower ll upwardly to simultaneously contact the oblique portions l2 bearing against the wedges 8 and 9 so as to press the quadrants or sectors "I outwardly against the tension of the resilient members III.

In operationjthe foot treadle I9 is depressed by the operator and lever l1 latched beneath the notch 2! to reduce the diameter of the quad- 3-. In an apparatus of the character described which includes a base supported cylinder, equirants whereupon an unsupported yarn body,

shown in dotted lines in Iflgure 2, is placed overthe cylinder formed by the quadrants. A circular top 22 carrying a depending centering pin 23 is placed in thetubular extension 24 provided in the upper section of follower H and the thread or filaments on the yarn body carried upwardly to the winding or coning machines. The operator then moves the lever Il out of engagement with the notch 2| to permit the spring ll to commence forcing the wedges 8 and 8 outwardly to create a uniform outward thrust or expansion on the inside of the yarn body. As the unwinding continues the outer layers of the yarn body, are removed and consequently the thickness and strength of the body decreases and under this weakening of the body the quadrants 1 are projected or expanded further and further i spaced vertical slots formed in the periphery of said cylinder, a plurality of exterior arcuate quadrants having right angled oblique faced lugs formed on their inner faces adapted to ride in said clots, a resilient element urging said quadrants into contact with the periphery of said cylinder, a vertically movable plunger in said cylinder, a tapered flange on said plunger adapted to contact with and force outwardly the oblique faced lugs on said quadrants, a rod afllxed t0 and depending from said plunger, a coil spring arranged on said rod between the plunger and cylinder base, a pivoted lever secured to the lower end of said rod and a latch engaging said lever when the same is depressed to place said spring under compression.

end and therefore the cone or spool being wound receives its layers of yarn under the same winding factors throughout and the yarn body is unwound to the last inside layer.

It is obvious that many variations may be made in utilizing the above invention and it is not intended to limit it to the particular embodi- 1 ment shown and described as illustrative of a single application of it. The terms used in describing the invention have been used in their descriptive sense and not as terms of limitation and it.

is intended that all equivalents thereof be included within the scope of the appended claims.'

What I claim is: i

1-. An apparatus for insuring the uniform unwinding of a normally unsupported hollow yarn body which includes a cylindrical support for said hollow body, expansible member's radiating from said cylindrical support, and resilient means for .carried by the segments of said split cylinder, a

spring projectedfollower positioned interiorly of said cylinder, cam surfaces on said follower normally urging said wedge members outwardly, and

- latch means for restraining said follower.

4. An apparatus for use in the unwinding of unsupported hollow yarn bodies which includes expansible members adapted to receive said yarn body, means to support said members, and spring-actuated means within said expansible members adapted to continuously increase the expansion of said members as the unwinding of the yarn body progresses.

5. Apparatus for insuring the uniform unwinding of a normally unsupported hollow yarn body comprising, relatively movable members together defining a generally cylindrical body adapted to receive thereover a yarn body, and resilient means continuously exerting a pressure against at least one of said members to move the same outwardly in a radial path.

6. Apparatus for insuring the uniform unwinding of a normally unsupported hollow yarn body comprising, relatively movable members together defining a generally cylindrical body adapted to receive thereover a yarn body, and means including a coil spring continuously exerting a pressure against at least one of said members to move the same outwardly in a radialpath.

7. Apparatus for insuring the uniform unwinding of a normally unsupported hollow yarn body comprising, relatively movable members together defining a generally cylindrical body adapted to receive thereover a yarn body, and resilient means continuously exerting a pressure against at least one of said members to increase the crosssectional area of said generally cylindrical body.

8. Apparatus for insuring the uniform unwinding of a normally unsupported hollow yam body comprising, members each presenting asurface conforming generally to a portion of the surface of the cylinder and together defining a generally cylindrical surface adapted to receive thereover a yarn body, said members being relatively movable in a path on a radius of the defined cylindrical surface, and resilient means for continuously urging at least one of said members radially outwardly to increase the cross-sectional area defined between the members.

HER'BERTNAUMANN.- 

